Faith is a journey not a guilt trip

Today we will discuss Kidology. Kids are an important part of our church. As a church we want to focus on our kids and create an environment where they can grow to become fully devoted followers of Christ in a fun and interactive way. We want to come alongside of parents and equip them to disciple their children.

​JESUS LOVES KIDSOne day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left. {Matthew 19:13-15}

I love this picture of Jesus. It seems like the children were seen as a nuisance. The disciples are “shooing” the kids away. But instead of being bothered by the kids, he welcomes them. He makes time to bless and pray for them.

I think we live in a day and age where children are viewed more as a nuisance than anything. People would rather have a dog or a cat than have a child. And the truth is that children are a huge responsibility. The truth is that they can be noisy, disruptive, and uncontrollable at times.

But Jesus’ response, I think, is something to admire. He makes time for the children. And I think this is a good place to start for us as a church. Look at the attitude of Jesus in this passage. As a church, how will we respond in a Christlike manner to the children God would entrust in our care?

​LEAVING A LEGACYSomething that is so wonderful about what we are doing as we go about planting a new life giving, gospel centered church in Bushwick, is that we are able to show our children something great. We are able to show them that God can use ordinary people like you and me to have an impact in our community. Our children will be able to see that God loves Bushwick. God has a heart for the people in Brooklyn. God wants to do something in and through us.

O my people, listen to my instructions.Open your ears to what I am saying,for I will speak to you in a parable.I will teach you hidden lessons from our past--stories we have heard and known,stories our ancestors handed down to us.We will not hide these truths from our children;we will tell the next generationabout the glorious deeds of the lord,about his power and his mighty wonders. {Psalm 78:1-4}

﻿Can you imagine the faith we will spark in our children’s lives? These are the future pastors, leaders, church planters, missionaries, singers, life group leaders, etc. We invest in our children because we want to leave a legacy that will go way beyond our lifetime.

SWERVE KIDS CURRICULUM

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.{Proverbs 22:6}

As a Network Church, we will be using some phenomenal kids curriculum for our Swerve kids. Life.Church has material for kids ages Pre-K to Middle School.

The material they have for kids is really top notch! Churches all around the US and around the world use their curriculum. LC is super generous providing all their material absolutely free.

As a Network Church, we are especially blessed having access to different resources and trainings to help us use the material well. Some of you will be interested in serving as kids leaders and teachers. We will be able to equip you to use the curriculum and to serve on a Sunday with our kids. You can have a hands on opportunity to lead our children to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

EQUIPPING PARENTSPart of what we want to do as well is to be able to equip parents to be able to lead their children to become fully devoted followers of Christ.

“Listen, O Israel! The lord is our God, the lord alone. And you must love the lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. {Deuteronomy 6:4-7}

In this passage, the big idea is that parent are to pass on the commandments from God to their children. Parents are to love God with heart, soul, and strength and pass on that very same passion to their children.

As the church, our job is to put resources into the hands of the parents in order to equip them to do just that. This would include a summary of what was taught that Sunday at Swerve Kids. On there, parents will find activities they can do with their children such as practice the memory verse, rehearse the big idea, along with other helpful activities and prayers, etc.

In the future, as we become more established as a church, we would also love to equip parents through a regular email, blog, or other online resource. All so that as a church we can lead our children to become fully devoted followers of Christ.​CONCLUSIONOur kids are everything! Can you imagine how many children there are in Bushwick? Can you imagine the massive opportunity to lead children to become fully devoted followers of Christ? Can you imagine the number of families we can impact and influence towards becoming fully devoted followers of Christ?

Let me paint you a picture. All throughout Bushwick there are single moms with several children and no father in the picture. All throughout Bushwick there are dads that are physically present with their families but are emotionally distant. All over Bushwick there are families that have no connection to a church, no connection to the gospel, no sense of community and purpose. There are parents addicted to drugs and alcohol. There are children that are confused, lost, and lacking purpose.

As the church we can come in with the powerful and life transforming message of the gospel and change our community one family at a time.